Which to use
“kurz” is an adjective and “Kuss” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #331
- “kurz” frequency rank
- #5,861
- “Kuss” frequency rank
- 6192
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kurz | Kuss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | wenig Länge habend | die Berührung der Lippen auf die Lippen oder beliebige andere Körperteile (einschließlich der Zunge und der Geschlechtsorgane) eines anderen Menschen oder einen, durch diese Geste geliebten oder verehrten Gegenstand |
Where the eye mixes kurz and Kuss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between kurz and Kuss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: kurz is [kʊʁt͡s] while Kuss is [kʊs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6192, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kurz is recorded at frequency rank #331, classified as anadj, pronounced [kʊʁt͡s]. Kuss is at rank #5,861, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kʊs].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 6192, this pair ranks #1,992,422 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of kurz vs Kuss
Shared letters: ku. Private to "kurz": rz. Private to "Kuss": s.
"kurz" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "Kuss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "kurz" for "Kuss" ever safe?
Frequency check: "kurz" vs "Kuss" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "kurz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,992,422 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kurz" and "Kuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kubas vs Kuss". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,992,422 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.